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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Research methods and resources

Rural Research Needs and Data Sources for Selected Human Services Topics
Provides an overview of rural human services. Reviews the literature on work supports for low-income families, substance abuse, and child welfare services, and describes gaps in the research. Identifies 80 data sources that could be used to conduct research on human services topics in rural areas. Provides recommendations to improve the quality and quantity of information available on rural human services.
Additional links: Executive Summary, Research Summary, Volume 1: Research Needs, Volume 2: Data Sources
Date: 08/2005
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, Mathematica Policy Research
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Rural Definitions for Health Policy and Research
Compares several rural definitions and discusses their strengths and weaknesses. Also addresses the issues related to using these geographic definitions in policy and research.
Author(s): L. Gary Hart, Eric H. Larson, Denise M. Lishner
Citation: American Journal of Public Health, 95(7), 1149-1152
Date: 07/2005
Type: Document
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Rural Health Research in Progress in the Rural Health Research Centers Program, 9th Edition
Contains information about rural health services research conducted by the Rural Health Research Centers Program of the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy.
Date: 02/2005
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Maine Rural Health Research Center
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Investigating Rural Emergency Medical Service (EMS) Infrastructure: A Developmental Methodology for Measuring the Availability of EMS Resources
Explores a potential indicator of EMS availability, Expected Annual Emergency Miles per Ambulance (EXAMB). Illustrates how EXAMB could be applied using ambulance availability data from five states: Mississippi, Oregon, South Carolina, Washington, and Wyoming. Includes policy and research recommendations.
Additional links: Fact Sheet
Author(s): P. Daniel Patterson, Janice C. Probst, Charity G. Moore
Date: 08/2004
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural and Minority Health Research Center (formerly the South Carolina Rural Health Research Center)
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Rural Health Research in Progress in the Rural Health Research Centers Program, 8th Edition
Describes the research and policy analysis projects underway in the Rural Health Research Centers Program of the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP). Projects are arranged by topic, with indexes by funding source, center, and project title.
Date: 02/2004
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Federal Office of Rural Health Policy
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Rural Health Disparities, Population Health, and Rural Culture
Commentary discussing the rural health disparities documented in Health United States, 2001, Urban and Rural Health Chartbook. Recommends branching out from the traditional focus of rural health policy and research on access to healthcare services toward initiatives that are based on models of population health. Identifies the risky health behaviors among rural populations that suggest a "rural culture" health determinant. Suggests that there may be environmental and cultural factors unique to towns or regions that affect health behavior and health.
Author(s): David Hartley
Citation: American Journal of Public Health, 94(10), 1675-1678
Date: 2004
Type: Document
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Rural Health Research In Progress in the Rural Health Research Centers Program, 7th Edition
Describes the research and policy analysis projects underway in March 2003 through the Rural Health Research Centers Program of the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP), Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Date: 03/2003
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Federal Office of Rural Health Policy
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Impacts of Multiple Race Reporting on Rural Health Policy and Data Analysis
Describes changes in federal standards for collecting data on race and ethnicity, as well as when specific data sources transition to the new approach. Discusses how rural health researchers can handle and present multiple race data and includes state-by-state data on multiple race residents for metropolitan and nonmetro counties.
Author(s): Randy Randolph, Rebecca Slifkin, Lynn Whitener, Anna Wulfsberg
Date: 05/2002
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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How State Rural Health Directors Obtain Policy-Relevant Research Information
Examines how State Office of Rural Health directors obtain information to support their policy activities and identifies specific information needs.
Author(s): Michael J. O'Grady, Curt D. Mueller, Gail R. Wilensky
Date: 03/2002
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis
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Essential Research Issues in Rural Health: The State Rural Health Directors' Perspective
Focuses on the key issues confronting state rural health directors. The major research issues identified were workforce, mental health, EMS, telemedicine, and a lack of local data.
Author(s): Michael J. O'Grady, Curt D. Mueller, Gail R. Wilensky
Date: 03/2002
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis
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